What kind of shot do the Sixers have at the No. 1 pick in 2015?

Duke's Jahlil Okafor (15) could be the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. If the Sixers wind up with the No. 1 pick, they could potentially trade it for the rights to Okafor.

Duke's Jahlil Okafor (15) could be the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. If the Sixers wind up with the No. 1 pick, they could potentially trade it for the rights to Okafor. (Streeter Lecka, Getty Images)

Tom MooreCalkins Media

What kind of shot do the Sixers have at the No. 1 pick in 2015?

May 19 will be an important date for general manager Sam Hinkie and the Philadelphia 76ers.

That's when the annual Ping-Pong ball extravaganza known as the NBA Draft Lottery takes place. The draft is set for June 25.

While the Sixers might be able to land a star with their available cap space — they have about $17 million at the moment — the Sixers' potential turnaround would get a big boost from adding an elite player.

It's fairly early in most of their careers, but none of the current healthy Sixers appears to be on the way to becoming an all-star.

The only one on the roster with that kind of potential might be injured rookie center Joel Embiid (foot stress fracture). Embiid is Hakeem Olajuwon-type athletic and raw, but would have to develop and get/stay healthy for that to be a viable possibility.

Their next-best chance is in the 2015 draft.

With their flawed roster, the 3-23 Sixers have an excellent shot at the league's worst record. They began a seven-game road trip Sunday in Orlando that ends with five stern tests on the West Coast.

Finishing last in the league would give the Sixers a 25 percent chance at the No. 1 overall selection in a draft that looks top-heavy on big men, led by Duke center Jahlil Okafor. While the Sixers could have three young power forward/centers (Embiid, Nerlens Noel and Dario Saric) by 2016, it'd be difficult to bypass a skilled inside scorer and talent like Okafor.

The two best players in the game today, LeBron James (No. 1, 2003) and Kevin Durant (No. 2, 2007), went in the top two. That's where the Sixers need to be.

In the 25-year history of the lottery, somehow only three teams with the worst record have maintained the No. 1 position. The last time it happened was 2004, when the Magic chose center Dwight Howard. Maybe that means it's due to happen this spring.

It's possible that the Sixers could go 9-73 and only wind up with the third or fourth pick, while a team with 28 or more victories could get No. 1. A year ago, the Cavaliers were 33-49 and jumped up to No. 1 and grabbed Andrew Wiggins. The 19-63 Sixers slipped from the second-worst record to No. 3.

While there have been great players at No. 3 or 4 — the best was Michael Jordan in 1984 (3) — No. 1 would put the Sixers in an enviable position.

If a team offered Hinkie enough and he didn't covet Okafor, he could probably extract multiple lottery picks and at least one very good young player in return. That could help jump-start the Sixers as they switch from tanking mode to putting a team on the court that hopes to start being competitive ASAP.

It'll take time — expecting more than 30 wins next season might be wishful thinking — but picking up the Sixers' first No. 1 selection since 1996 (Allen Iverson) could accelerate the process in the third year of Hinkie's plan.

If not, all of this losing might not result in the payoff Hinkie and the Sixers had hoped.